Bag-fastener



(No Model.)

A; DSTERLOH.

BAG FASTENER.

Patented Aug. 8 1893;

NETE STATES Enron.

PATENT ADOLPH OSTERLOH, on RICHMOND, VIRGINIA, ASSIGNOR 'ro-YEAMANs SMITH MARRIOTT, or BALTIMORE, MARYLAND.

BAG-FASTENER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 503,113, dated August 8, 1893.

Application filed October 17, 1892. Serial No. 449,062. (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Beitknown thatI, ADOLPH OSTERLOH, a citizen of the United States, residing at the cityof Richmond, county of Henrico, and State of Virginia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Bags and Bag-Fastenings, fullydescribed and represented in the following specification and the accompanying drawings, forming a part of the same. 1

The object of this invention is the production of a bag suitable for the storage and transport of contents that are to be consumed by partial removal therefrom from time to time, as for example smoking tobacco, edibles, birdseed, and the like. Such bags, and the means for closing them,from the nature of their use and the low price at which the package must necessarily be sold, require to be comp'aratively inexpensive in construction and simple in operation. 7

These ends are attained by the present invention which consists in means for closing the mouth of a bag, which means are constituted by two wire bails hinged together, one, and it may be both, being provided with a part adapted to temporarily engage and lock with the other, which locking devices are formed integrally with the bail or bails; and the invention also comprehends aparticular construction of hinge and lockfor the bails, as will hereinafter appear.

Practical embodiments of the invention are illustrated in the accompanying'drawings, in which Figure 1 represents a filled bag, the mouth of which is closed and secured by the fasteningbails. Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the fastening bails detached from the bag and spread open. Fig. 3 illustratesamodifijcation of the hinged bails in a closed condition and Fig. A shows the same as they appear when opened. Fig. 5 is ayiew of a modified construction of the locking devices.

In carryingmy invention into efiect I construct the bag of muslin,'paper or other cheap and sufficiently strong material, and provide its mouth with fastening bails of wire curved or otherwise shaped to suit'the fancy. These bails A, B are connected together in such manner as to constitute a hinge joint upon which they may swing apart to suitably distend the mouth of the bag and enable access to its interior. Ordinarilysimple loops connected together as in Fig. 1 will serve the purpose, but as such a connecting joint will admit of any degree of opening, and it is desirable to limit the extent to which they may spread the bag mouth open, I preferably construct and connect the hinge joint as in Fig. 2 wherein the loops 1, 2, at the ends of the bails are so connected together that, when the bag is opened and the bails spread apart the loop of one bail bears upon that of the other, thus acting as a stop arresting it when the bails stand apart at a suitable angle. At or near their central part one or both of these bails is provided integrally with a means for insuring their locking engagement, which" means are constituted by suitably shaping the wire composing the bail. Thus, as in Figs. 1 and 2, one bail A is bent to form a hook 3 that will by slight pressure owing to the resilient action of the wire composing the bails pass over aproj ecting loop iinto which the central part of the other bail is fashioned. This hook 3 will, by the inherent resiliency of the bail A, pass over and bear down over saidloop land thus secure the two bails together suificiently to prevent their separation by ordinary handling, and yet permit their disengagement by suitable pressure exerted by the fingers.

The essential feature of the invention being the formation of the locking member integrally with the wire bail, it will be obvious that other variations of its structure than that already described, may be made without departing from the invention. And although I have shown as the preferred form of hinge two separate parts or loops each formed intogrally with one of two wire bails, and made to engage each other so as to limit the spreading open of the bails it is obvious that such hinge might be constituted by forming the two bails with a hinge joint that will not limit the opening movement of the bails.

In the construction of lockin g device shown in Figs. 3 and 4, it will be seen that the bail A has an extended or projecting bend 5 near its central portion and that this bend 5 is thus adapted to pass over the plain part'of the bail B and engaging the same, as in Fig. 3, temporarily lock the two together; but the bail IOO B might also have a bend or bends projecting to an extent that will afford a hand or finger hold to aid in uncatching the bails.

In Fig. 5, both bails are provided with a locking member formed by bending the wire into a loop as 6 and 7 which loops will bear against each other laterally, and thus lock by lateral pressure.

A bag closing device thus constructed out of common wire and provided with a fasten- 1ng means formed as an integral part thereof, constitutes at once a cheap and inexpensive appliance that does not enhance the price at which the contents to be packed therein would ordinarily be sold, and affords to the user a convenient and ready means of easily opening the bag to use its contents, and of looking it closed to preserve the same.

What is claimed is- 1. A bag, the mouth whereof is provided with two wire bails as A, B, hinged together so as to open or close the same, said bails having integral engaging fastenings formed by bending or shaping the bail itself, substantially as described.

2. A bag mouth controlling device consisting of a pair of wire bails hinged together so as to move to and from each other, which bails are provided with integral fastenings for engaging and locking them together, which consist of loops, hooks or projections bent or shaped out of the bail itself, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in the witnesses.

ADOLPI-I OSTERLOH.

Witnesses:

M. T. SMITH, F. D. BARKSDALE.

presence of two subscribing 35 

